Network analysis of the \'{I}slendinga s\"{o}gur - the Sagas of Icelanders

TL;DR

This paper applies network analysis to the Icelandic Sagas to quantitatively explore character relationships and compare saga society to other social networks, offering insights into their structure and narrative complexity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of network analysis to medieval literature, providing quantitative insights into character interactions in the Sagas of Icelanders.

Findings

Reveals complex social network structures within the sagas

Identifies key characters and interaction patterns

Compares saga networks to real-world social networks

Abstract

The \'{I}slendinga s\"{o}gur - or Sagas of Icelanders - constitute a collection of medieval literature set in Iceland around the late 9th to early 11th centuries, the so-called Saga Age. They purport to describe events during the period around the settlement of Iceland and the generations immediately following and constitute an important element of world literature thanks to their unique narrative style. Although their historicity is a matter of scholarly debate, the narratives contain interwoven and overlapping plots involving thousands of characters and interactions between them. Here we perform a network analysis of the \'{I}slendinga s\"{o}gur in an attempt to gather quantitative information on interrelationships between characters and to compare saga society to other social networks.